Distriih Tion

A thickset, heavily feathered little penguin, this bird is adapted for polar conditions. Its feathering is dense, short, and furlike, feeding in the cold waters oil" the Antarctic coast, it hunts mostly for krill. a shrimplike creature, also taking small fish. Adelie Penguins usually nest in crowded colonies in the Antarctic summer. Each bird returns to the same nest site and the same mate. Pairs usually rear two young each year. During the season, juveniles that have grown large enough leave the nest and are seen gathering at the seashore to beg food from their returning parents.

• NliSTA low heap of pebbles, collected by the male.

• DlSTRIBl JTION Breeds around much of the coast _ of Antarctica and on nearby islands.

Winters out at sea.

Plumage Scxcs a|ikc

Migration Migrant

Family SPHKNISCIOAK

Species fr'iidypiula minor

• plain, unpattemed haul short, thick •feathering.

Little Penguin

When on land, this tiny penguin avoids predators by being nocturnal and by the camouflage afforded by its nondescript, plain plumage. The birds feed at sea, swimming underwater to catch fish. When not breeding or molting, l.ittlc Penguins normally rest by floating on the open water. Parties come ashore to their colonies after dark and leave again before dawn. The penguins typically use underground burrows for breeding and stay in the burrows afterward to molt their plumage. Noisy braying and yapping calls betray the presence of the penguins. Parents take turns of up to several days to incubate the eggs and guard the young.

• NliST A burrow in a colony on a sandy shore; sometimes in a cave or under thick vegetation beside the sea.

• distribution

Breeds on coasts and islands of S. and S.K. Australia and New Zealand. Spends DISTRIBUTION —* ^_ the winter out at sea.